The Language of Friendship
by da-angel729
Summary: Harry asks Luna for some advice and ends up with something he had never expected. Canon-compliant through HBP.


**Disclaimers/Author's Note:** Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This quote by Thoreau: "The language of friendship is not words but meanings" was used as inspiration and provided the title, and "The Grey Gull" is a restaurant in my hometown. Written for **melianebraith** on LiveJournal who requested Harry/Draco with Luna as matchmaker. Thanks to my always wonderful beta, **thevixxmeister**. As always, feedback and concrit appreciated!

--

** The Language of Friendship**

Harry couldn't remember when he started reading the personal ads in _The Quibbler_, but he thought it was the day Ron and Hermione's first child was born and he'd been alone. Again. Still. He would read the ads, and wonder about the people who entered them, and if they actually worked. If the people they'd met had been soul mates, or if they had been disappointed. He vaguely thought about entering an ad in the paper, but what did one say? More specifically, what did "The Hero of the Wizarding World" write?

Harry hated being "The Hero of the Wizarding World" because no one ever remembered the others who had fought, and died, during the last battle at Godric's Hollow. They only remembered Harry Potter. He hadn't defeated Voldemort by himself, and he hated that no one honored those who had died.

"Hi Harry!"

Harry looked up from his lunch, which, he realized, he'd just been staring at, to see Luna Lovegood walking toward him.

"Hi Luna," Harry said, truly glad to see someone he knew. The other customers at The Leaky Cauldron had been staring and whispering behind their hands, but since it happened everywhere he went, he tried not to let it bother him too much. "Join me?"

"Thanks," Luna said, sliding into the seat across from him. "How are you, Harry?"

"I'm fine, Luna," Harry said. "What about you?"

"I'm great! I just saw Ron and Hermione-their girl is adorable, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Harry replied, sighing.

"So, why aren't you happy for them?"

"What?" Harry asked. "Of course I'm happy for them! They're my best friends, they've been through more than most, and they deserve to be happy! I'm happy for them!"

Luna, taken aback, collected herself and nodded slightly. "Of course you are. I didn't mean to imply anything, Harry. You just look really unhappy."

"I'm not unhappy, Luna," Harry said. "I'm feeling sorry for myself, that's all."

"Well, do something about then, Harry!" Luna exclaimed. "Don't mope because your life didn't turn out the way you thought it should."

"That's not what I've been doing," Harry protested, but sat back as he considered it.

He hadn't become an Auror, even though it was the job he'd wanted since he was fourteen. Because by the time Voldemort had been defeated, Harry had seen enough death to last a lifetime. He hadn't joined a Quidditch team because he didn't want to live in the spotlight. Instead, Harry had founded the Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak Organization dedicated to the memory of Albus Dumbledore, an orphanage, and had asked Remus Lupin to help him run it. Harry loved it, but sometimes he felt a twinge of guilt since he wasn't helping keep the Wizarding World under control. The last he'd mentioned this to Hermione, she just shook her head and told him no one expected him to keep fighting after all he'd done.

"I like the way my life's turned out, Luna," Harry said firmly. "It's not what I would have imagined, but I like it." He considered her for a moment and gathered his courage. "By the way, I was wondering if I could put a personal ad in _The Quibbler_."

Harry laughed at the stunned look on Luna's face. She hadn't been expecting that, and Harry still wasn't sure why he wanted to. But he did. He was tired of being alone.

"Well, I could," Luna said slowly, "but I think I have someone in mind for you already. Do you want me to set you up on a date with him?"

"Sure! Wait. What? Him!" Harry sputtered. "I'm not, you know."

"Harry, of course you are." Luna said patiently. "Everyone's known for years. Why do you think that no one tries to set you up with women anymore?"

"Because they know that I hate when they try to make me as happy as they all are?"

"No, Harry. They don't do it because they know you've been attracted to men for years. Think it over, and get back to me tomorrow." Luna stood up. "I'll see you later."

"See you," Harry said, and Luna left.

--

Harry thought about it all night. He thought about his past relationships, and how none of them worked out. And how while he'd been attracted to women, he'd never really been _attracted_ to them.

Harry tossed and turned all night, wondering what he was going to do. Finally, at about three in the morning, he climbed out of bed and moved to sit in a chair near the window. He thought, "_Accio photo album_" and the photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of first year zipped neatly into his hand.

The album was considerably more worn, and larger, than it had been back then. Pictures of him, with Ron and Hermione. Ginny. Various other Weasleys, and a picture of the wedding party at Ron and Hermione's wedding: him, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Remus, and Tonks. And a picture of Sirius and Remus that Tonks had taken at Grimmauld Place sometime during their fifth year, laughing uproariously.

Harry stared at a picture of him and Hermione dancing at the wedding. Ron was in the background, and they all looked so happy. Harry hadn't felt that happy in a long time, and as he stared out the window all night, he realized why he had become unhappy. He hadn't felt like himself in a long time. Not since sixth year, before the world really started to fall apart. He also realized, as the sun began to rise after a night of soul-searching, that Luna was correct.

Harry waited for panic to set in. How was he going to tell everyone? What would they say? How would they feel? As he ran over the questions in his mind, he concluded that if what Luna said was correct, everyone already knew. His mind wandered back to his conversation with Luna. Did he dare? He was so tired of being alone, and it was only a date. He could always leave early if he wasn't enjoying it. Harry looked out the window, took a deep breath, and went to find Hedwig.

--

Harry entered _The Grey Gull _restaurant and looked around. It was a nice, non-fancy, Muggle restaurant, and the women standing behind the counter asked for his name.

"Lovegood," Harry said. Luna had made the reservations under her name to protect the anonymity of both people involved.

"Follow me! Your table's in the back room, and it's very private. It's for two?"

"Yes, that's right. We're meeting here," Harry explained.

"Well, here you are, sir," the hostess said, stopping beside a table that was hidden from the rest of the room by a high wall. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Harry said. "I'll wait."

She left, and Harry sat down. He was twisting the napkin in his hands under the table when he heard a familiar voice drawl, "Fancy meeting you, here, Potter."

Hands stilling, Harry looked up into the sneering face of Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are, Potter," Draco said, shrugging of his jacket and sliding into the seat across from him. He gave the restaurant an once-over and sniffed. "This place isn't quite up to my usual standards, but then, not much is." He laughed shortly when Harry just stared at him. "Potter, Lovegood sent me here. I had no idea it was _you_ she was introducing me to."

"Are you kidding me?" Harry asked. "You're the person I'm meeting?"

"Yes, as we've already established," Draco said, the familiar sneer back on his face as the waiter came over. "We'll have water."

"Very good, sir," the waiter said, placing menus in front of both of them. "I'll be back shortly to take your order."

Harry waited until the waiter was out of earshot and turned back to Draco. "You're the person I'm meeting? Why would Luna send you here? She knows I hate you. And you hate me."

"Well, get over it, Potter," Draco said, suddenly sounding weary. "She did, and since she's paying for dinner, we might as well eat."

Harry stared down at the menu, his mind racing. Had Draco almost seemed human for a moment? He knew, of course, that Draco, after failing to kill Dumbledore, had gone into hiding. Tonks, who had enough presence of mind to bring him in for questioning, had found him. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he had admitted to plotting to kill Dumbledore, that he had put Madam Rosmerta under the Imperius Curse, and inadvertently almost killed both Katie Bell and Ron Weasley. The Ministry had given him a trial and found him guilty, and he had been sentenced to prison for four years.

"Potter, are you going to order or what?"

"Sorry," Harry said hastily. "I'll have the roast chicken, please."

After the waiter left, Draco leaned back in the chair. "So, I heard you opened an orphanage. Are you enjoying that?"

"Yes, actually," Harry said, after a slight hesitation. "I'm enjoying it a lot. The kids are mostly war orphans, and they've already been through quite a bit. What have you been doing?"

"Spending time in a jail cell, and fixing up the house." Draco said, giving a short laugh. " Luckily, the Ministry didn't take away my money when they threw me in prison."

"At least you're not dead, Malfoy," Harry said, annoyed. It was Draco's fault he'd ended up in prison, and he was still alive. "It could be worse. Besides, you had a fair trial, which is more than you deserved."

"So, still playing judge and jury, Potter?" Draco asked, his mouth twisted into a sneer. "I would have thought you'd learned more, but I guess not."

"I haven't 'played judge and jury' in a long time, Malfoy," Harry snapped. "I haven't helped the Ministry for a long time, either. I would have thought you learned more, with all that time for self-reflection."

"Well, you were wrong, weren't you?" Draco asked. "I don't like to reflect. It makes me realize how much I hated my younger self."

"I didn't really like my younger self, either, Malfoy, when I looked back at who I was," Harry admitted.

A hint of a smile crossed Draco's face, and Harry tentatively smiled back.


End file.
